How to Extract Text From Images
Blog post from Roboflow
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology is a powerful tool for converting text from images into digital, machine-readable formats, which can significantly enhance efficiency in various fields, including data entry, accessibility, searchability, translation, and data analysis. Automating data entry with OCR reduces errors and labor costs, as exemplified by the USPS Flats Sequencing System, which processes vast amounts of mail with precision. Moreover, OCR improves accessibility for visually impaired individuals by converting text into formats readable by screen readers, and it enhances searchability by making large image collections easily navigable. Additionally, OCR facilitates translation by converting non-editable text into translatable formats, thus speeding up the translation process. The article explores practical applications of OCR using the Roboflow's OCR API, which utilizes machine learning models like DocTR to extract text from images, even allowing for extraction from specific regions within an image. While OCR is not always flawless, incorporating error correction methods such as spelling correction and using multiple OCR models can help mitigate inaccuracies, ensuring the output is reliable and useful.